Diesel Engines to Become More Prominent in the U.S.

As the automotive industry move towards the future, one thing is for certain: more fuel efficient vehicles will emerge. With the U.S. Government agreeing upon new CAFE standards that will roll into action in 2016, AutoblogGreen reports that automakers are scrambling to develop and produce more fuel-efficient vehicles. Some of the current choices for meeting new CAFE requirements range from adopting direct injection technology, to reducing vehicle weight, to employing the use of hybrid powertrains. While all of those options will help increase efficiency, a simple choice that is often overlooked by U.S. automakers is adopting widespread use of the diesel engine.

The diesel engine is widely popular outside of the U.S. For example, in many European countries, taxes on gasoline-powered vehicles make them considerably more expensive than diesel-powered vehicles. This price disparity drives the majority of European countries to favor the diesel engine over its gasoline counterpart.

Though widely popular elsewhere, AutoblogGreen reports that the diesel engine has failed to make much of an impact here in the U.S. Aside from the truck market, which offers a diesel engine option for most models, few other vehicles in the U.S. employ a diesel setup. In the passenger car market, only a handful of automakers even offer diesel engines. Notable examples include the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the Volkswagen Golf TDI and the BMW 335d. There are a few other diesel models available in the U.S., but the pickings are slim.

But with looming CAFE standards, more automakers are now committing to future diesel models for the U.S. market. As AutoblogGreen reports, we can expect several automakers such as Ford, Fiat and even Mazda to begin offering diesel engine options on upcoming models.

Diesel engine offer improved fuel efficiency over their gasoline counterparts. On average, many diesel engines will return at least 20 percent better fuel efficiency numbers than a comparable gasoline engine. In addition, diesel engines are less costly and less complex than utilizing a hybrid powertrain.

A few hurdles still remain before diesels become more widespread in the U.S. First, many U.S. consumers still believe that diesel are loud, belch smoke as they motor on down the road and are low on power. However, many modern diesel engines are now refined to the point that they are nearly as quiet as gasoline engines and in reality, many diesels emit much less than gasoline engines.

So as automakers move towards a future filled with efficient vehicles, don't count the diesel out. Its efficiency, coupled with its relatively low cost makes it an excellent choice for reaching the lofty CAFE goals set by out government.

Source: AutoblogGreen.com